1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nebulizer according to the preamble of claim 1 and a container for a nebulizer according to the preamble of claim 15.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The starting point for the present invention is a nebulizer in the form of an inhaler as shown in principle in WO 91/14468 and specifically in WO 97/12687 (FIGS. 6a, 6b) and in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the enclosed drawings. The nebulizer comprises as a reservoir for a fluid which is to be nebulized and insertable container with the fluid and a pressure generator with a drive spring for conveying and atomising the fluid.
WO 91/14468 and WO 97/12687 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Generally, the disclosure therein preferably refers to a nebulizer having a spring pressure of 5 to 60 MPa, preferably 10 to 50 MPa on the fluid, with volumes per actuation of 10 to 50:1, preferably 10 to 20 μl, most preferably about 15 μl per actuation and particle sizes of up to 20 μm, preferably 30 to 10 μm. Moreover, the disclosure therein preferably relates to a nebulizer with a cylinder-like shape which is about 9 cm to about 15 cm long and about 2 to about 5 cm wide and a nozzle spray spread of from 20° to 160°, preferably from 80° to 100°. These magnitudes also apply to the nebulizer according to the teaching of the invention as particularly preferred values.
By rotating an actuating member in the form of a lower housing part of the nebulizer the drive spring can be put under tension and fluid can be drawn up into a pressure chamber of the pressure generator. After manual actuation of a locking element the fluid in the pressure chamber is put under pressure by the drive spring and nebulized, i.e. expelled to form an aerosol. During the tensioning process and subsequent atomising, on the other hand, the container performs a lifting movement.
The nebulizer comprises a mechanical monitoring device which detects rotation of the actuating member in order to count the actuations of the nebulizer. The known nebulizer operates purely mechanically, i.e. without propellant gas or electricity.
In the known nebulizer, containers with various fluids, i.e. in particular different pharmaceutical compositions, may be used. This can lead to the risk of confusion during use as the nebulizer may be set or intended for the particular fluid, for example, and/or because a container containing the wrong fluid with the wrong concentration of active substance or the wrong quantity may be used by accident, in particular.